"You’re not going to change your mind?" Cairo asked one last time.
"No," Alex replied. "I already made my decision, Master."
"You only have seven weeks before the trial for the Dungeon of Beginnings starts," Cairo stated. "What are your plans?"
Alex pondered a bit before giving his reply.
"Originally, I planned to go two weeks before he entered the Dungeon of Beginnings," he answered. "But since there is no longer a reason for me to stay here in the Town of Thaloria, I’m thinking of going to Briarwood Village when the next airship heading to the capital arrives."
"That airship will arrive in three days," Cairo commented. "So, you will be leaving in three days?"
Another sigh escaped Cairo’s lips as his helpless gaze lingered on the young man beside him. Now that he knew the real reason behind his disciple’s journey to Briarwood Village, he could no longer feign ignorance.
After learning the details, he could now understand why Alex insisted on helping Charles Lambert instead of just turning a blind eye to his predicament.
Ignorance was bliss. Once it was replaced by awareness, one would bear the guilt if nothing was done about what was already known.
"Fine," Cairo said with finality. "I will go with you."
"Thank you, Master," Alex replied with a smile. "With you around, the chances of me surviving are high."
Cairo snorted. "How strong are the monsters we’re going to face in that dungeon?"
"The strongest will be Rank 4 Monsters," Alex replied in a heartbeat. "As long as we run quickly, we might be able to barely escape their pursuit."
When the young man had been playing Charles’ character, he had placed all of his stats in Agility and simply focused on running away.
It was a gamble. One mistake, and he would die from a single attack from a monster Rank 2 or above.
That was how he had barely managed to clear Charles’ tutorial quest, which had won him an invitation from the God of Games, Eriol.
"Make sure to give Elaine and Efa a proper goodbye before you leave," Cairo said. "Also, you should not really drink a lot if you can’t hold your liquor."
The young man’s face reddened a bit, unable to refute his Master’s words.
Being carried away back to his room every time he got drunk by Elaine and Efa wasn’t helping his image as a man.
"Understood, Master," Alex replied.
After chatting for a bit longer, Cairo left. Before accompanying his disciple on a journey, he first had to send a message back to his grandfather through a courier pigeon.
He planned to tell him that he would accompany Alex to Briarwood Village and escort him safely to the Capital City of Harmonia so his disciple could take the second test of Frieden Academy.
"Dim Dim, please help me find Elaine and Efa," Alex said to his little companion, who was about to take a nap on top of his head.
"Dim Dim," Dim Dim yawned before telling Alex that Elaine and Efa were in the Adventurer’s Guild.
After thanking his little friend, he no longer bothered the little one and let it sleep while still perched on his head.
When he arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, he was immediately greeted by the receptionist, Dahlia, who informed him that he had been promoted to a Rank D Adventurer.
Alex had just been a Rank F Adventurer not long ago.
But since he had played a major role in the defense of the Town of Thaloria, Darius, who was the Guildmaster, had decided to rank him up two times.
The young man was quite happy with his promotion and handed his Guild Card to the receptionist so she could update it.
"Hey, Alex, did you come to look for me?" Efa hugged Alex from behind. Her body stuck close to his, making some of the nearby Adventurers whistle in Alex’s direction.
"You came to see me, not her, right?" Elaine also approached Alex and rested her hand on his shoulder.
The other Adventurers started to cheer and tease Alex because two of the most famous lady adventurers of the town seemed to be interested in him.
"Actually, I came to look for the two of you," Alex answered honestly. "There’s something important I need to say before I leave this town."
"... Y-You’re leaving?" Efa, who had been hugging Alex from behind, asked in surprise.
"Yes. I plan to leave three days from now and head to Briarwood Village."
Elaine frowned after hearing the young man’s reply. "You did mention your plan to go there eventually. I just didn’t expect that it would be this soon."
Alex nodded. "I didn’t intend to leave early, but after careful consideration, I decided to go to Briarwood Village to make some preparations before I enter the Dungeon of Beginnings."
The young man’s main goal when he had arrived at the Town of Thaloria had been to get stronger.
He had planned to raise his strength to Rank 1 and get a Profession before heading to Briarwood Village.
The young man had given himself two months to achieve this goal, but he had crossed them out on his checklist sooner than expected.
In fact, one could even say that he had surpassed his own target. Instead of being a Rank 1 Shielder, he was now a Rank 2 Oathkeeper. Alex was confident he could now fight against Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters on his own without any help.
More importantly, he wanted to meet Charles as early as possible so he could form some sort of connection with him.
This would allow him to form a party with the unfortunate young man, who planned to challenge the Dungeon of Beginnings for the sake of reuniting with his sisters and finding a cure for Eris’ illness.
Elaine and Efa were sad to hear that Alex was about to leave.
But they also understood that Frieden Academy was a good place for Alex to study and train, and that would pave the way to future success.
While the two ladies were feeling a little sad that their handsome friend was going to leave them, Dahlia returned and handed Alex’s Guild Card back to him.
"I overheard your discussion, and I sincerely wish that you will be able to enter Frieden Academy," Dahlia said with a smile. "Just make sure not to forget us when you become a successful man, okay?"
"I won’t forget," Alex promised.
"Good." Dahlia nodded. "I won’t be able to bid you farewell on the day of your departure, but I can treat you to dinner tomorrow after my work shift ends. Treat it as a parting gift from a friend. Do you accept?"
"Of course, Dahlia." Alex was more than happy to eat a home-cooked meal by the pretty receptionist, who had taken good care of him during his stay in the Adventurer’s Guild.
"The two of you can also join us, you know." Dahlia gave Elaine and Efa a knowing wink. "I don’t mind."
"Then we’ll accept your invitation, Dahlia," Elaine replied.
"I’ll help you cook as well," Efa offered. "Since Alex is going to leave, I’ll make sure to cook the best dish I know."
After agreeing to meet tomorrow night for dinner together, the young man left the Adventurer’s Guild and returned to the Cat Tail’s Inn to get some proper rest.